Jonathan Knight of ‘Farmhouse Fixer’ Reveals How To Save $40K Renovating a House
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On “Farmhouse Fixer,” Jonathan Knight and Kristina Crestin renovate older homes so they feel fresh and modern. In many cases, that even means adding daring designs and colors.
In the Season 3 episode “Barn Burner,” the design duo drive to Candia, NH, to help Kris and Ben work on their 1820s home. They want to convert the main floor into a primary suite, with a new bathroom, walk-in closet, bar, and bedroom.
Check out how Knight and Crestin pull this off, with plenty of lessons you might be inspired to apply to your own abode.
Save what you remove—you never know when it can be reused
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In their main-floor renovation, Kris and Ben want to remove the features that they no longer use, and that includes the staircase in the entryway.
“This is bird’s-eye maple,” Ben says of the staircase. “The treads are great, but we never use it.”
“When we start taking things out, I like to leave it on the property somewhere, so at some point, somebody can put it back,” says Knight.
Kris agrees: “We have room to store this.”
“Goodbye for now, little staircase,” says Knight, patting it farewell. Someday, a new owner of the house might want to use the perfectly good staircase elsewhere.
Save thousands by doing much of the work yourself
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Ben and Kris want to save money where they can on the project, so they decide to stay in the house while the renovation is happening. That way Ben can be around to do as much of the work as he can.
It turns out Ben is very handy. When Knight returns in three days, he is amazed. Sure enough, the walls, ceiling, and floors have been completely stripped.
“I’ve only been gone for what, like 72 hours?” Knight asks. “And the demo is almost finished. You did so much! This is amazing!”
“Since Ben is living here, he is absolutely crushing it with keeping it on budget, keeping it on schedule,” continues Knight. “I mean, he’s already saved probably $3,00o on this budget.”
That’s only the beginning. Ben even paints! Total labor savings from his efforts is $40,000, according to Knight.
Use furniture in your closet
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“I am aware that custom cabinetry would blow the budget,” says Crestin. “And I think that you guys are more interesting than that. So there’s something neat to me about old shop cabinets, or furniture, that’s like it’s furniture, but it’s display. So there’s this interesting mix with the way they’re using open shelves, hanging and furniture all mixed together that gives it a really lived-in feel.”
In the end, Crestin saves money by using old barrister’s glass-front bookcases. She also uses an old-fashioned file cabinet.
Alternatives to black
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Crestin is working on colors for the new bathroom that’s going to take the place of the home’s original living room. Kris says she’s not afraid of black, but Crestin says she is.
“I’m a little bit afraid of black, so I’m at that world of dark charcoal,” she says. “The tub will be green on the outside and bright white on the inside.
The dark charcoal, highlighted by green, white, and brass, looks great.
Try shou sugi ban
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Knight is also building a unique barn for Kris and Ben, which Ben makes even more unique.
“What are you doing?” asks Knight as he comes across Ben taking a blow torch to some wooden planks and searing them black.
“Shou sugi ban,” answers Ben. “These are going to be the barn doors. Instead of staining them every year or painting them, we’re going to seal them by burning them. It shrinks the cells on the outside of the wood, so bugs don’t get in and water doesn’t penetrate.”
Knight is enthralled.
“Then we’re going to put an alligator crust on them, like charcoal,” Ben explains. “We’re going to scrub it off, and then we’re going to coat it with oil.”
Everyone agrees that the black doors against the white barn exterior look fantastic.
“This is the first time that we’ve had a homeowner actually take the lead,” Knight says. “Big props to you! That’s so admirable. That just really makes this place so much more special.”
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